Scottish sensation Josh Taylor embarks on the first fight of his World Boxing Super Series
campaign when hosting Ryan Martin at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on November 3. The bout
will be decided over 12 three-minute rounds with the victor progressing to the next stage, the
beaten man sent plummeting back through the world rankings.
With so much at stake fight fans who pack the venue are guaranteed entertainment and
bookmakers have laid out a feast of tempting betting treats to help make the action that little
more exciting. Taylor is favourite, but should he be?
Source: Seconds Out Boxing via Twitter
Taylor continues to improve
27-year-old Edinburgh native Josh Taylor brings a 13-fight unbeaten record into the
tournament and, despite his lack of experience, experts in the game expect the prospect to
live up to the hype and go all the way to the top before dominating a talented super
lightweight division. ‘The Tartan Tornado’ has won 11 of his 13 inside the distance and gave
a career best last time when beating Viktor Postol at this very venue.
Ukrainian Postol travelled to Glasgow with an impressive 29-1-0 record, his only
defeat coming at the hands of pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford. Despite boasting the
lion’s share of experience, Viktor suffered a second loss, beaten on points by Taylor with the
ringside judges scoring the fight 117-110, 118-110, 119-108.
A boxing lesson was dished out that night and those in attendance who hadn’t already signed
up to the Taylor fan club soon became fully paid up members. Traders at bet365 have Taylor
1/6 favourite in the boxing betting to grab win number 14.
Source: BBC Sport Scotland via Twitter
Martin expected to leave empty-handed
Opponent Ryan Martin is another with a record that’s impossible not to buy into. The 25-
year-old from Tennessee, USA, shows off a pristine 22-0-0, 12 of those victories coming by
way of knockout. He’s a talented boxer with power in both hands, something that’ll give
‘Team Taylor’ plenty to think about in the run-up to fight night.
The man nicknamed ‘Blue Chip’ may have more fights but, unlike his opponent, he has never
gone the 12-round championship distance, 10 being his best to date. Martin was last seen
securing an eight-round points win over Breidis Prescott at the StubHub Center in Carson.
Why is that result deserving of our respect? Well, British fans will remember Prescott as the
man who famously knocked out Amir Khan in a round way back in 2008, hence the handle
‘Khanqueror’.
That result appears to hold little weight with odds compilers who are confident enough
Martin will jet home empty-handed – they are offering a chunky 4/1 on the upset, a draw
around the 25/1 mark. If you're taking your lead from the market, this is all about the
Scotsman. Taylor on points offers backers an interest at bigger odds and that’s sure to be
popular as the first bell approaches.